No matter what kind of investing someone is doing, the end goal is always the same: maximize potential for profit and minimize potential for loss.  When it comes to comics, books with multiple first appearances in many ways represent the pinnacle of this idea.  All it takes is one of the characters hitting it big for that book to see a big bump in value.  With that in mind, let's look at some of the Marvel comics that contain multiple first appearances and why they make such good investments.

Note: For the purposes of this article, books with fewer than 3 first appearances were not considered, nor were blue chip keys.  Books are not listed in any particular order.

Young Avengers Vol. 1 #1

First Appearances: Kate Bishop, Hulkling, Iron Lad, Patriot, Wiccan, and the Young Avengers as a Team

Reasoning: There are so many reasons to invest in this book.  When it comes to the comics, Hulkling is only just starting to reach his true potential as the child of Skrull and Kree heroes.  Wiccan has barely tapped the surface of his destiny as the Demiurge, the multi-dimensional Messiah who is prophesized to rewrite the rules of magic and reality.  And Kate Bishop is easily the biggest star of the group, having appeared in ~25% more comics than the next closest member of the team.

When it comes to the MCU, a Young Avengers team seems almost inevitable.  With the exception of Prodigy and Marvel Boy (who could easily be introduced or ignored), every single member of the Young Avengers has been introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Furthermore, these young characters are very diverse and thus stand a really good chance of resonating with the kind of audiences that Marvel Studios is seeking to attract.  This book may be expensive now, but it still has so much room to grow as the characters and team it introduced continue to gain greater prominence.

Power Pack Vol. 1 #1

First Appearances: Alex Power, Katie Power, Jack Power, Julie Power, Zn'rx, and Power Pack as a team

Reasoning: Power Pack Vol. 1 #1 is such an awesome investment for a lot of reasons:

  • The Power Pack has had team-ups with just about every Marvel hero and team, so there is a tremendous amount of pre-existing content that the MCU could pull from
  • The fundamental premise of a group of young siblings with superpowers who have to look out for one another and learn important life lessons is practically begging for a Saturday morning cartoon a la Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
  • Kevin Feige, the head honcho of the MCU, has outright said that Marvel Studios is looking at ways to incorporate the team.  Do you really need much more than that?
  • Power Pack's stories are phenomenal and it is rarely a bad idea to invest in good storytelling

Incredible Hulk Vol. 1 #449

First Appearances: The Thunderbolts as a team and their various false identities

Reasoning: The great thing about this book is that it has a lot of different ways to turn a profit.  First and foremost, the Thunderbolts are a heavily rumored property for the MCU, due in no small part to the multiple teasers in different MCU properties showing Valentina Allegra de Fontaine recruiting "dark" versions of various MCU mainstays.

Granted, this could ultimately be revealed to be the Dark Avengers instead of the Thunderbolts, but even in that situation, investors would probably not need to be worried, as the Dark Avengers were always positioned as a redux of the Thunderbolts in the first place.  Failing that, however, this book can also generate a return from the various alter egos it debuted.

Multiple characters have used the MACH, Atlas, and Citizen V identities, while Screaming Mimi permanently adopted Songbird as her alter ego.  All it takes is one of those guises showing up in the MCU and this book will quickly catch fire.

X-Men Alpha #1

First Appearances: The Age of Apocalypse universe and its different versions of many characters

Reasoning: There are a lot of reasons to be bullish on X-Men Alpha #1 as a speculation opportunity.  For one thing, Age of Apocalypse is a fan-favorite event that is constantly being revisited in the comics, meaning the odds are extremely low that the book would ever lose value.

Furthermore, the MCU's focus on multiversal stories creates a perfect opening for a live-action version of the story or even just of the character variants it established.  Lastly, this book is not particularly expensive right now, meaning investors stand to lose very little should things not work out.

X-Men Vol. 1 #129

First Appearances: Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, the Hellfire Club as an organization, and cameos of Sebastian Shaw, Harry Leland, and Donald Pierce

Reasoning: Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde are two of the greatest comic book characters of all time and their eventual inclusion in the MCU should be viewed as inevitable.  Furthermore, the Hellfire Club and its leadership have long been antagonists for the X-Men and been a part of some of their best stories.

This book is far from cheap now, but when (not if, but when) Emma and/or Kitty are revealed for the MCU, the price will be stratospheric.  Investors should be looking to buy now before the book becomes all, but completely out of reach.

War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1

First Appearances: Luna Snow, Crescent, Io, Aero, Wave, Sword Master (cover only), and the new Agents of Atlas as a team

Reasoning: In recent years, Marvel has made a point of including more Asian And Pacific Island (AAPI) characters and ideas in order to reach new consumers (especially those in the Southeast Asian market, where manga and other comic book formats are incredibly popular).

One of the most notable examples of this is War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1, which introduced a bevy of new AAPI characters from several different walks of life.

Shang-Chi #1

First Appearances: Delilah Wang, The Five Weapons Society, the Deadly Warriors as a team, The Original Deadly Warriors, Brother Staff, Brother Sabre, Sister Dagger, and Sister Hammer

Reasoning: If you are not reading Gene Luan Yang's current run on Shang-Chi, you are may be missing out on something truly special.  Yang has been making some big changes and additions to the Shang-Chi mythos, the kind that would be really difficult to ever put back in the box again.

Amongst these changes is the introduction of several new members of Shang-Chi's family, each of which already feels like a wonderfully fleshed-out and unique character despite having only existed for a short period of time.  Yang is redefining Shang-Chi's role in the Marvel Universe and investors would be wise to pay attention to the great work he is doing.

Alpha Flight Vol. 1 #1

First Appearances: Beta Flight as a team, Box, Diamond Lil, Flashback, Gamma Flight as a team, Marrina Smallwood, Puck, Tundra, Smart Alec, and Wild Child (cameo)

Reasoning:  Alpha Flight is an incredible investment opportunity that more people should be talking about.

First, Alpha Flight has always been an incredibly diverse team.  Given Marvel Studios' very publicly stated interest in telling more diverse stories, investors would be wise to take notice of the team.

Second, the team has an extensive history as a space-faring organization under Carol Danvers and as a clandestine group with Wolverine.  Considering Marvel's clear goal of expanding the cosmic corner of the MCU and the inevitable introduction of Wolverine in a future film or show, opportunities abound for Alpha Flight to show up.

Third, it would not be particularly surprising to see the nations of the world in the MCU forming their own super teams as a response to the Avengers and increased awareness of extraterrestrial threats, especially in the wake of the Blip.

Lastly, the first cameo and full appearance of Alpha Flight (Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #120 and #121, respectfully) are very expensive, especially in higher grades.  Alpha Flight Vol. 1 #1, meanwhile, is still very affordable, also contains many first appearances, and has the added benefit of being the team's first solo book, making it a great way to invest in the promise of Alpha Flight without breaking the bank.

Further Reading - Locks and Longshots: Canadians and Kaijus

Black Panther Vol. 3 #1

First Appearances: Zuri, Okoye, Nakia, Manuel Ramos, Buster, and the Dora Milaje as a team

Reasoning: It boggles my mind that this book is not more expensive.  First of all, multiple reputable outlets have reported that the untitled Wakanda series being produced by Ryan Coogler will be a prequel story about Okoye.  So investors can buy the book now and essentially be certain that it will go up in value again at some point.

Second, so many different elements of modern-day Black Panther stories, in both the comics and the MCU, were introduced in this book.  With Black Panther becoming a more and more prominent character, especially in the wider culture, opportunities will abound for this book to see renewed interest from potential buyers.

Nothing in life is a sure bet, but this book gets pretty damn close.

Black Cat Annual Vol. 2 #1

First Appearances: The General, Mr. Enigma, Gun-R II, Auntie Ante, and Tiger Division as a team

Reasoning: There are two main reasons to love this book: the geographic area of focus and the writer.  Regarding the former point, as previously mentioned, Marvel has made a concerted effort in recent years to increase the number of AAPI characters as a way of telling new and different kinds of stories.  the Tiger Division (the national superhero team of South Korea) and its members represent a key aspect of that effort.

As for the latter point, the writer, Jed MacKay, LOVES to reuse and recycle characters, especially Tiger Division.  Given how quickly MacKay's star is rising, investors may want to get in on the ground floor before others catch on.

Check out more spec from Jack!


*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.